Pepper Design Blog

Favorite Trend: Grasscloth, Linen & Burlap

I’m very much a fan of these three materials year round, but they’re even more appropriate now that it’s fall (a simple burlap runner or squares makes the perfect base for a fall tablescape!).

There’s something about the natural texture of grasscloth that is both warm and inviting – and very modern. And linen is a great material for lampshades, covering a corkboard or a few extra throw pillows, it brings in that country/autumn feel that helps keep a room cozy. There are so many diy projects to be found using any one of the above ideas, here is a bit of my favorite inspiration and I’m thinking a single wall in our soon-to-be new office would be the perfect place to try these out.

The entire inspiration board above is amazing – each room showcases an eclectic mix of design that when pulled together appears polished and well-thoughtout. Mixing chinoiserie, bamboo and grasscloth? No problem. Throw in a modern trellis print? Why not.

Camila over at High-Heeled Foot in the Door shared this great grasscloth source (that beat out even Lowes!) when she covered the ceilings in her kitchen.

Or, for a more do-it-yourself approach, here’s a tutorial on creating a linen look for less with paint by Janell of Isabella & Max Rooms. She covered an accent wall in the bedroom and it turned out beautifully!

Why stop with rooms when linen makes such a neat fashion statement! Still Dottie created these brooches (just below) to be worn in the hair, on a belt or pinned to a sweater and I love the look. A recovered set of French chairs in a rugged burlap makes a great statement piece as well.

Grasscloth, linen and burlap are year-round materials, but I think that this is the perfect time of year to make some room in the home for the new textures. More ‘Favorite Trends’ found here .

Sources, starting from top: Linen Bouquet, Odi et Amo, Ashley Whittaker, Marshall Watson on House Beautiful, Angie Hranowsky, Waterleaf Interiors, Canadian House & Home, Jeffrey Bilhuber, The Yellow House, Willey Design, Remodelista, Apartment Therapy

DIY Artwork: A New Map Board for the Bedroom

A while back I found this very cool mirror at a local refurbishing shop. The actual mirror was yellowed and discolored, but it had an ‘antique-y’ feel that I loved.

My first attempt to make it over was to create an upholstered magnet board for the future office.

I used the Aviary print in Robin teal from Calico Corners as the face for the new board and simply flipped the mirror over and painted with three coats of magnetic primer. I didn’t love the way the magnets held (I’d imagine 3 more coats might have done the trick!) but I loved how the board turned out and was very excited to put it to good use. (The above image is from a recent San Diego design show that I did a guest presentation at.)

But then Cali experienced one of those little earth shakers that caused zero damage to the house with the exception of my new magnet board. I found the mirror shattered and the fabric ripped the next day after it had fallen on it’s side.

So project #2 came about:

I don’t know if this map board will find it’s final spot hanging above my dresser (not propped as it currently is) in the new master bedroom or above the desk in the future office (renovation project #2 after the kitchen remodel), but I do love how it turned out!

Here’s a quick recap.

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{Before & After: Dresser Mirror to Map Board}

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Materials: Mirror with a sturdy frame (a picture frame with a back would work well too), corkboard squares or strips (from your local craft store, mine are from Michaels), map pins (found mine at Staples), spray paint, tack nails (1/2″ or smaller, depending on frame size), hammer, glue, scissors, photos and a map (I found mine at Papyrus).

1. Remove the back of the mirror from your frame and spray paint with two coats.

2. Organize your cork squares or cork strip (much thinner than the squares and sold rolled up) so that the final look of the cork on the back of the mirror is proportional on all sides. I prefer the squares but considered rolling the cork strip over the top for fewer seams (the rolled cork on it’s own might be too thin to hold pins). In the end the raw square look won out.

3. Cut your squares and clue to board, be sure to leave enough room for frame to sit snugly against backing. My mirror had an indent in the frame to securely hold backing on, yours might not and you could cover the entire backing in cork.

4. Flip the mirror over and tack backing back onto frame. I used small 1/2″ tack nails because both my backing and frame were thick and sturdy. You might opt for a staple gun or smaller nails if you have a thinner frame.

5. I attached the paper map to the very center of the board and printed photos from our travels for the edges (I love the look of the thin white line around the outer edge and had them printed that way by Costco). I then used map pins (pins with the little round balls at the end) to mark our travel destinations!

Red pins designated cities/countries Kevin and I had traveled to together, yellow were spots I had visited and blue areas that Kevin had traveled to.

The final board is a neat tribute to our travels and allows us to keep adding as we go.

I love the shape of the frame and how easy it’s been to turn an old dresser mirror into various forms of diy art – who knows, this might receive a glossy coat of red in the next year and end up in the nursery to mark Baby S’s big events!

DIY Fabric Headboard for the Master Bedroom

My first project for the master bedroom was to create a fabric headboard for our queen sized bed (see room inspiration board here!). I found this great Calico Corners print and knew it would work perfectly as a neutral backdrop for the rest of the room. Next I needed to find a frame with a bit of architectural detail… and I scored a white wooden headboard from Craigslist that was perfect.

Here’s my step-by-step:

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{DIY Fabric Headboard}

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Materials: Headboard frame, sand paper, spray paint, fabric, foam (1″ – 2″ is easy to work with), quilt batting, staple gun, hem tape, utility knife

1. I asked Kevin to cut off the bedpost knobs since they would get in the way of my vision for a sleek, rounded form. 2. Then I sanded and painted the legs (at least the areas that would show) the same mahogany color as my platform bed.

Forgive the messy workshop… but I was in crunch mode and brought my big project inside for some late night work.

3. After painting, I traced the line of the headboard frame onto my 1 1/2″ foam pieces (one for the front and one for the back). One foam form was about 6″ longer on each edge to allow for folding over the bedposts so that the sides would be just as soft and cushy as the rest of the headboard.

A heavy duty staple gun and utility knife were the perfect tools for the job.

4. Because my rolls of foam were only a couple of feet wide, I also added thicker 3″ foam just below my foam forms so that my fabric headboard would extend at least 2/3 of the way down the frame (this may or may not be necessary if you try this project yourself). Be sure all foam is even and patch where necessary.

5. My final foam finish was a simple strip across the top of the headboard to match the sides.

(Don’t mind the sun discoloration… my foam is faded but it’s a bit cheaper and it doesn’t affect the project!)

6. The next step was to cover the entire headboard frame with quilt batting. This should hide all seams and create a sealed, soft look (especially around the edges and corners).

7. We repeated step 6 but this time with fabric, working from edge to edge and pulling the fabric taut as I stapled. This would be a great time to add tufted buttons (super easy, check out the process during this ottoman tutorial) but I wanted to keep a more modern shape and thought they might be a bit distracting and competitive with the pattern.

8. We finished the headboard by applying a lining across the back to hide all folds and staples (the one picture I don’t have!). The lining was cut just a few inches shorter than the headboard outline on all sides (it followed the staple indentation for a cleaner finish) and was hemmed (hem tape works great) before it was attached to the back.

And here she is! I can’t wait to see how it will look in the room… once we get that put together and decorated.

My DIY headboard set me back a mere $100 for a Craigslist frame, spray paint, foam, batting and fabric (try a complimentary solid shade for the backside lining if you choose an expensive print and don’t forget to take advantage of 40% off Jo-Anns coupons since foam can be pricey). I actually purchase most of my foam for projects from a nearby discount store that collects Jo-Ann rejects (usually because of sun discoloration). It doesn’t hurt the project and brings my overhead down even more.

The labor and time was definitely worth it, I love the look and I know it will tie in so well to the finished bedroom!